The week of final exams passed slowly.

Whether it was due to the densely packed exam papers and boring study sessions, or because meetings with Ki Yeon were postponed under the pretext of exam preparation, it was a dull week.

Having just finished her last major exam, Yoo In could no longer hide the excitement she had felt since entering the exam room.

Finally, it was the day to meet Ki Yeon, whom she had been waiting for.

The end of the concise text contains concern that represents his heart. His essence, which had pretended to be polite, seems indifferent at first glance, but his affection had never cooled.

With a smile that melted on its own, Yoo In lightly moved her feet towards the parking lot closest to the Humanities building where he always parked.

“Director…!”

At last, as soon as she spotted the familiar subject, her lips, about to call him with a deep flush, hesitated for a moment.

It was clearly the person she had been wanting to see, but the unfamiliar attire and atmosphere made Yoo In pause.

Instead of the suit that always neatly enveloped his body, Ki Yeon wore a white shirt with sleeves rolled up to look casually appropriate, paired with black slacks, making him look much younger than his age.

To match, the black leather watch occupying his wrist and the black horn-rimmed glasses covering his coldly extended eyelids gave him an elegant and intellectual impression.

Standing under the lush greenery of vivid green, leaning diagonally against the pure white car body and focused on the mobile phone in his hand, he seemed to sense her presence and raised his cool gaze trapped within the black frames.

The corners of his eyes that curved upon discovering Yoo In were as intense as the hot sunlight.

“What are you doing there? If you’ve arrived, say something.”

“…Ah.”

His casually lowered black hair swayed slightly with the wind that held a shallow moisture.

Though it wasn’t the first time seeing Ki Yeon dressed in clothes other than a suit, why did he seem so unfamiliar and novel today? Her heart was beating so strongly, it hurt a little, as much as her excited breathing.

Detecting something strange in Yoo In’s expression as she approached, Ki Yeon gently cupped her rosy cheeks and asked.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“No.”

“Your face says otherwise. Is it because of the exams?”

Ki Yeon’s straight forehead was slightly furrowed as he pressed for an answer.

Discovering a crease that didn’t suit the man who looked dashing with an elegant smile, Yoo In silently reached out and gently smoothed it.

The startled man widened his eyes in surprise, but remained quiet at the thin touch.

Soon, Ki Yeon gently caught the white hand that was falling away awkwardly before it could retreat further. This time, bewilderment reflected in Yoo In’s large eyes.

“…”

Ki Yeon lightly pressed his lips to the soft palm, meeting her intense gaze as if to show her.

Ah, Yoo In let out a small sound and curled up the hand where the soft sensation had touched. The skin that had contacted him tickled and tingled at the same time.

Ki Yeon smiled while firmly rubbing Yoo In’s slightly trembling wrist.

“Is this Nam Yoo In’s version of aegyo?”

“What? No, that’s not it.”

“If not that, then what?”

The man smiling and showing his lone dimple deeply set in his cheek was enjoying Yoo In’s reaction.

It was too embarrassing to express the impulsively extended sincerity, and bringing up clumsy excuses would only provoke his mischievousness.

In the end, she gave an answer that omitted many things.

“I’m telling you not to frown.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“…Hmm.”

Ki Yeon laughed, rumbling his throat as if to say he wasn’t satisfied but would let it go.

Then, as he straightened up and opened the passenger door, she realized only now, quite ridiculously, that the car he had been leaning on was not the black sedan he usually used.

The handsome man who had narrowed her field of vision to a desperate degree casually seated Yoo In.

“The car… has changed.”

“Yeah. The one I usually drive is in for inspection.”

The man starting the engine looked very familiar, but the leather seats that hadn’t yet lost their original scent, and the car interior showing no signs of use, without a speck of dust, were close to brand new, as if they had just been delivered.

Since he wasn’t one to show off or act arrogantly in front of her, Yoo In occasionally forgot that he was the director of a successful large entertainment agency.

Surely he hadn’t bought a new car just because of an inspection.

“It’s so clean. It looks like a new car.”

“I bought it but haven’t used it much.”

“Do you have other cars besides this one?”

“I do, but I don’t use them often.”

“…Oh, I see.”

“Why? Does Nam Yoo In need a car?”

The flow of the conversation was strange. Yoo In slightly pouted her lips, wondering why everyone asked if she needed a car whenever they saw her.

Anyway, she grasped the true meaning. Ki Yeon had many cars but didn’t drive them often. That was evidence of his ability and lifestyle.

How much he earned and what he did with that money wasn’t her business. But for some reason, she was reminded of someone with a wasteful habit who bought cars as stress relief.

“No. I was just curious.”

“Go on.”

“About what?”

“Nam Yoo In’s background check.”

“It’s not like that.”

“I can answer diligently. Should we start with the number of bank accounts, things like that?”

“I told you it’s not like that! I’m absolutely not curious about bank accounts.”

Seeing Yoo In react cutely, the man laughed playfully as his gentle handling steered the pure white SUV out of the campus and onto the busy Seoul city streets.

A dignified sedan and a sporty SUV. Heavy black and light white. The tastes seemed too drastically different.

She had thought all-black suited him best, but now seeing him, white also harmonized very well with his refined face.

A man who ran to such extremes was difficult to grasp, but at the same time, irresistibly charming.

“I made a restaurant reservation for dinner. We still have some time, and the weather’s nice, so shall we take a short walk?”

“Yes. That sounds good.”

The man glanced sideways and smiled slightly at Yoo In’s clear answer, then firmly grasped the hand neatly placed on her knee.

“You worked hard taking exams, Nam Yoo In.”

The gentle encouragement in his low voice warmed her entire heart. Yoo In looked at him and grinned.

The sky, without a single cloud, was clear and pure blue, perfect for enjoying a stroll as he had said.

The park, located slightly off the city center, was quiet and peaceful, allowing them to savor the leisure of a weekday afternoon.

In the midst of this, an unwelcome topic arose.

“So the semester’s ending. What are you planning to do?”

“…Hmm.”

Yoo In’s plan was to have no plan.

Others might see it as ungrateful talk or pathetic whining, but Yoo In lacked the courage to prepare and run around with sweat on her feet like others, getting ready for employment.

From the start, the cutoff line she had set for her social life was ‘school’. She hadn’t found anything she wanted to do badly enough to mix with unwanted people, nor a reason why she should.

She had never considered this decision shameful or embarrassing.

But trying to talk about it in front of a man who lived busier than anyone and was passionate about his work felt like a contradiction.

“I should… think about it.”

“Looks like you have no plans.”

“…”

“No answer either.”

The man, carefully examining Yoo In who had fallen silent and gloomy, pulled her dejected shoulders into an embrace as they walked and continued speaking casually.

“I can guess what you’re thinking with that little head of yours. I didn’t ask to scold you for not having plans.”

“…”

“You have an older sister who earns more than enough money, so don’t feel pressured and play hard while you can. If you find something you want to do along the way, try it. That’s how you grow, baby.”

Her ears perked up listening intently, but her concentration shattered completely. Being called a puppy was barely tolerable, but baby was too much. To someone in an equal relationship.

Yoo In bumped the back of her head against Ki Yeon’s firmly pressed shoulder and grumbled.

“What, I’m not a baby.”

“That’s what babies usually say. That they’re not babies.”

“I’m not a baby or a bedbug.”

“I never called you a bedbug, ouch.”

“Ha, really. Stop it.”

“Nam Yoo In is even getting angry now. Even cuter.”

The man, his black eyes sparkling as he tightened his arm around her shoulders, was excited on his own. Yoo In couldn’t understand why getting angry was cute.

Picking at words and dragging them out over nothing was one of Ki Yeon’s newly acquired pranks.

That’s why she had reluctantly given up on being called a puppy, but now it seemed she would have to endure that embarrassing sound for a while longer.

Should she just not respond at all? As she chewed her lower lip, pondering in her own way, Ki Yeon suddenly detached his body.

“Yoo In. Will you sit for a moment? I need to make a call.”

“Yes. Go ahead.”

Ki Yeon patted her head with a grin, confirmed that Yoo In sat on the bench, and only then answered the phone after moving a bit further away.

The man, with his back turned, continued the call with lowered volume as if having a secretive conversation.

What drew Yoo In’s attention wasn’t just that.

During the not-so-short call, the way he roughly ran his hand through his hair, his broad shoulders occasionally heaving greatly as if angry, made her nerves, which had dulled, stand on end.

“Yoo In.”

The man who returned after finishing his business exuded a completely different aura from before.

The one who had been lazily smiling and joking was nowhere to be seen, replaced by an unmasked sharp gaze and hard-set lips that were chilling.

“An urgent matter came up, so it seems I need to go to the company. Sigh, what should I do. I’m so sorry.”

The man’s face, smiling with squinted eyes, looked just like a mask.

Encountering the vivid sense of discomfort, Yoo In opened her unmoving lips to utter empty words.

“I’m… okay.”

“I’ll take you home.”

Ki Yeon’s outstretched hand conveyed all too well that he would not explain further. Yoo In just stared at that hand for a moment.

She wanted to ask what happened. Could she ask? She wanted to know why. Not like this, hiding it.

Were her feelings of curiosity, wanting to know, and worry wrong?

The pure white shirt that reflected the transparent sunlight was spotlessly clear, but his inner thoughts were dark and gloomy.

“Director.”

“Yes?”

The moment she heard his voice tinged with a drop of impatience, lightning suddenly struck in her mind, scattering intense colors strongly.

Blood-red. Paint. Police. Accident. Words displayed in sets as if linked together, with unnamed anxiety clinging to the end.

“What is it?”

His jet-black eyes glittering like obsidian were calm but resolute. They were sharpening their edge, not seeming to allow any questioning.

Yoo In swallowed the words that were losing direction and crumbling.

“I… I’ll meet my friends and go home. They’re probably nearby.”

“Where is that? I’ll drop you off before I go.”

“No.”

She pronounced it straight, putting as much strength as possible into her thin voice.

“Go quickly. You’re in a hurry, aren’t you?”

“Yoo In.”

“Are you really going to treat me like a child?”

“…Yoo In.”

Ki Yeon only pronounced her name and quietly looked down at Yoo In. He wanted to know why she was taking this attitude.

Then, as his phone vibrated again, he let out an unsatisfied sigh, hung up ruthlessly, and said,

“I’m sorry. Make sure to contact me when you arrive at your destination.”

Watching his back as he left the park with quick, long strides, the warm air from earlier now felt chilly, making her rub her arms exposed below the short sleeves.

An vague sense of loneliness, as if left alone in this world, seemed about to engulf her feet completely.